Bad Breath - Topeka,KS

Hi M.. I have been a dental assistant for 30 years and have had patients young and old complain about the same problem. Sometimes constipation can cause this and or a slow digestive tract. Also people who suffer acid reflex can sometimes have bad breath. Have you had her tonsils checked? Hopefully your problem will have a simple answer. Take care and good luck. K. P.

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Have her drink more plain water... stay away from soda and coolaid and the like. Also mouthwash is actually more likely to cause bacteria build up further back than you can safely reach. The mouthwash blocks the natural saliva from washing away the bacteria thus creating bad breath.
So have drink just plain water.

I had a little girl in my daycare class years ago that had bad breath. She wasn't sick, brushed her teeth, etc. Her parents took her to the doctor and they found a small piece of tissue stuck way up in her nose. Once that was removed, she was fine. I would definitely take her to the doctor and let them check her nostrils for any foreign objects.

A chiropractor who is a good nutritionist would likely check her pH balance and make some nutritional suggestions accordingly. If this is cronic, I would check with a nutritionist. Acidic pH can cause awful breath. Balancing the pH can prevent a multitude of health problems, including dental problems. It will also prevent the types of fungal, viral, and bacterial problems several people have mentioned.

M.,
I am a grandmother, who has had a problem with bad breath ever since I can remember. My mother was always telling me to go brush my teeth, which never helped. I try to stay away from people's faces when I talk. Nothing has helped that I've tried. When I was 13, my stomach gave me a lot of problems, burning when I ate anything. X-rays and 2 doctors, one said I had an ulcer, the other said it was a nervous stomach. But both agreed that stomach problems can cause a breath problem. I now have a bad hernia above my stomach, and my breath is worse than ever. Brushing, gargling, this and that, nothing helps. Sometimes my husband says he can smell it across the room. Sometimes I smell it. Yuck! I don't know what to do. If the other responses you've been sent don't bring relief, maybe there is a digestive problem. I've lived with this for about 45 years, maybe longer, and I'm not happy with it. But I know not to talk to anyone's face! If anyone has a solution, I'd be grateful. I'm surprised my babies and grandbabies haven't handed me a package of Dentine! All but 8 teeth have been pulled, so I wear dentures, which I take very good care of.

check her nose to see if she has pushed anything up there, it will sure cause bad breath... had 2 kids that done that... and it was what ever they put up there nose
ada

Have you tried gargiling? That may help. C. F.

You are getting a lot of great advice here.
I just want to chime in with one more.
Water.
Be sure she is getting enough water every day. Bad breath can also be caused by dry mouth. Some of us take more water through the day to stay hydrated than others do.
Not a lot of water at once, but regular small drinks all day long.

Hi M.,

Just a couple of ideas came to mind when I was reading your question. The first could be the foods she is eating. Peppers and onions can affect a person's breath up to two-three days after eating them. I know most kids don't jump at the chance to eat those kind of foods, however there are other foods that cause the breath issue but I can't think of them at the moment. Second is stress. It has been proven that when a person is under alot of stress bad breath can develop. The third is acid reflux. If your duaghter has acid reflux, bad breath ocurrs due to the acidity in the stomach. The final idea is a tooth abcess. Sometimes you an't aways see them. They can be beneath the gums and in the root of the tooth. This definately causes breath issues and doesn't always present themselves to the person about to have the pain. It's an infection and takes some time to feel it. One other idea is flossing. When food gets in between the teeth and stays there for a time, the odor is the result of it. i am not sure if she is too young for flossing, but it will help. Ask her dentist what they reccomend. I hope this has given you some ideas. Hope everything works out.

A. H.

Have you talked to her pediatrician? Bad breath can also be caused by several factors aside from oral health such as adnoids and tonsils and like another poster said, nasal drainage. My daughter had a period there where her breath was just terrible and we found out that it was from allergies and nasal drainage. If you have her see her pediatrician and they don't see any issues then consider taking her to a dentist - she is getting pretty close to the age that you would first take them anyway. Hope you get some relief!!! Best of luck!

Hi M.,

I would have to agree with the responses you are getting about nasal drainage or sinus problems. My 8 year old son has the same problem, and when his breath starts smelling he usually has a sinus infection or strep throat. My pediatrican said that pieces of food can also get stuck in the tonsils and that can cause bad breath.
Does she get strep throat a lot or are her tonsils enlarged? My 9 year old used to get strep throat constantly and finally had his tonsils removed when he was 3 yrs. old. He used to have a bad gag reflex and couldn't swallow meat because his tonsils were so enlarged.
I would just mention the bad breath to your Dr., and also go ahead and take her to the dentist and see if he notices any oral problems.

I would bet sinus/allergy related or bacteria build up on her tonsils.

Angie

Persistent bad breath even with teeth/tongue brushing, gargling, rinsing, etc comes from the intestinal track. Does she have regular bowel movements? I have also noticed my kids will get persistent bad breath when they have a sinus infection. My only suggestion is a chiropractor as they are the only ones that can get to the bottom of it without a 1,001 tests. Tehy can ususally give you some really easy home remedies or massage techniques that will help the intestines. A regular doctor probably wouldn't because it's not a disease & probably isn't causing any other noticable problems. Hope this helps!

Hi M.,
Your 2 and a half year old may have a sinus infection.
I always knew right away when my children had one because
of the odor. Check with her doctor.
Good luck, cj

Have you talked to you pediatrician? Have her sugar level tested. Bad breath is a sign of diabetes. It may not be that, but it is good to have it tested. And it if this hasn't been going on long then it could be a sign of a viral infection. Take her to the doctor and talk to him/her. Good Luck and God Bless.

My son had the exact same thing; the bad gag reflex and all! I discovered one day brushing his teeth toward the back where his tonsils were and there was this cheesy-looking substance stuck in his flesh on both sides ( )< ----- eg. of back of throat. I took a Q-tip and tilted his head back in the light so I could quickly poke it out. And he spit it up in the sink and I smashe it with the Q-tip and smelled it and sure enough....that was the source of the odor!!! OMGosh! I noticed that he used to scratch his throat alot and make that "pig noise". Maybe that stuff collected in pockets of his throat while he was doing that...I dunno. Check it out...

It could be sinuses. My two younger sons had bad breath and both had sinus infections. One had a really stuffy nose and always had junk coming out or clogged up in there. The other one would be a little stuffy in the AM but no complaints after that. The dr. checked the one with the AM stuffiness first and said he had a sinus infection then the other one. Same diagnosis. They were 4 and 1 at the time.

Hi M.,

Sometimes bad breath can be from nasal drainage...

I know for adults that eating things like strawberries can freshen the breath, as well as parsely.

Although, I dont think you can give that to a two year old??

And drinking more water, lots of water can help keep hydration... which can also cause bad breath.

Most Dentist recommend being seen by the time they are 3 so I don't think that going ahead and seeing a dentist is a bad idea. If you can, I would go to a Pediatric dentist, who specializes in kids. They usually have a first time appointment where they show the kids all the equipment and walk them around the office and then do an exam on the 2nd appointment to help reduce fears. You just have to check to see if they do that.

Hi M.,
In adults bad breath can be a sign of a toxic digestive system. I know it sounds scary, but we all have toxins in our bodies, some more than others. In adults I suggest a cleanse to clean the system to get rid of harmful toxins. For a 2 1/2 year old Aloe Vera juice can help. It also works as a detox to rid the body and would be gentle enough for her to drink. My son is also 2 1/2 and has been drinking aloe vera juice since birth, mostly when he was gassy. He really likes the taste as well as my other 2 children. It also works great for sore throats and upset stomaches. If you want more information on the aloe vera juice we use, let me know and I can e-mail it to you.
V.

All I know is that children don't get bad breath unless there is something wrong it could be an underlying medical condition,as most responses pointed to allergies and nasal drainage.Has she had a cold recently or has allergies.Not a bad idea to get it looked into and like you said she has a gag reflex.I would get mouthwash and dilute it with a little water and have her rinse her mouth if she isn't a toothpaste swallower.